1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, generally, to boats. More particularly, it relates to shock-absorbing means for the cockpit of a speedboat or the pilot's lounge of a pleasure craft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Occupants of a speedboat, whether a driver, navigator, throttleman, or passenger, are confined for safety purposes in a cockpit which may be closed or open. A closed cockpit is a full enclosure including a floor, walls, and ceiling whereas an open cockpit may lack a ceiling or walls that extend all the way to an overhead cover.
The pilot's lounge of a slower pleasure boat has much the same structure as a speedboat cockpit. The different names for essentially the same structure arise primarily because the high speeds attained by speedboats make the name cockpit more suitable instead of the more leisurely-sounding pilot's lounge.
Occupants of the cockpit, whether the cockpit is open or closed, and whether the occupants are standing or sitting, experience severe shocks at high speeds. Even at much lower speeds, intense shocks can occur in high seas. For example, there is a large impact when a boat drops from a four foot wave into a trough at any speed.
Such shocks can cause spinal pain or injury and can jar the internal organs. The number of shocks encountered during a race or a slower cruise in heavy seas can be very high.
The conventional response to the problem is to provide individual seats that are equipped with padded seat and back cushions, shock-absorbing coil springs, leaf springs, or gas-filled shock absorbers for supporting the seat, and the like. These measures provide some relief, but they do not adequately solve the problem.
Such shock-absorbing seats are also somewhat undesirable because they are bulky, unattractive, heavy, and expensive.
Thus, there is a need for a shock-absorbing means that cushions the occupants of a speedboat cockpit to a much greater degree than provided by conventional means.
There is also a need for a shock-absorbing means that enables a boat buyer to purchase a boat having ordinary comfortable seats that are neither bulky, unattractive, heavy, nor expensive.
The steering means and other mechanical or electrical components of a dashboard/console are also subjected to shocks at high speeds.
Accordingly, there is a need for a means that protects the steering means and other mechanical or electrical and electronic components that form a part of the cockpit.
Some fishing boats have no passenger seats so there is also a need for a means that protects standing passengers from shocks.
Even fish in a live bait well can be subjected to strong shocks, causing premature demise; thus there is a need for a means for cushioning live bait wells from shocks.
However, in view of the prior art taken as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill how the identified needs could be fulfilled.